Two distribution companies fined and closed, 23 jailed in expiry date scandal

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Two food distribution companies have been fined and ordered to close, with prison sentences handed to their owners and staff, following one of Bahrain’s largest commercial fraud trials involving falsified expiry dates.

The Sixth Minor Criminal Court sentenced the owner of the first company to three years in prison and fined him BD100,000.

The second was fined BD101,000.

A senior employee received a three-year term, while 19 workers were each sentenced to two years.

All foreign defendants are to be deported upon completing their sentences.

Suspension

Both companies were fined BD10,000 and ordered to suspend operations for six months.

The court also ordered the destruction of expired and adulterated food products, along with the equipment, chemicals and materials used to alter the dates.

The case revolved around large quantities of expired goods being reintroduced into the market with forged shelflife labels.

Original dates were either removed or concealed beneath newly printed ones to give the appearance that the products remained safe to consume.

Complaint The matter came to light when a worker filed a complaint at Khamis Police Station (A) in the Northern Governorate.

Having recently arrived in Bahrain and taken a job at one of the company’s warehouses, he reported that he was instructed to repackage expired food with forged expiry dates.

He refused to participate, recorded video evidence of the practice, and submitted a formal report.

Following the complaint, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce ordered the immediate closure of the warehouse and its affiliated shops. Prosecutors visited the premises the same day.

On-site inspection

A team from the Public Prosecution conducted an on-site inspection, questioned 29 individuals comprising owners, supervisors and workers, and ordered their detention pending investigation.

The warehouse and all outlets belonging to the company were placed under judicial custody. Inspectors from the ministry carried out a full inventory.

They seized over 14,000 expired food items, along with various chemical substances used to erase original markings.

Counterfeit dates

Additional products originating from the same company and bearing counterfeit dates were discovered on sale in local markets.

A forensic specialist from the Criminal Evidence Directorate examined samples and confirmed the expiry dates had been falsified through removal and relabelling.

Eyewitness statements and police investigations supported the findings.

Judgements

Once the investigation concluded and evidence was secured, the Public Prosecution referred the matter to court. Judgements were issued shortly thereafter.

Counsellor Wael Rashid Buallay, Assistant Attorney General, called on all food sector operators to comply fully with Bahrain’s legal and regulatory requirements.

He stated that any endangerment of public health constitutes a criminal offence and will be dealt with through strict legal measures.